


Rise to Action: Ice Cold

by Yemi Hikari (Yemi_Hikari)



Series: Beyond the Action [7]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015), Teen Titans (Animated Series), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brown Belt, Gen, Plot Twists, Red Belt, Write to Rank, Write to Rank 2, black belt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25371262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yemi_Hikari/pseuds/Yemi%20Hikari
Summary: Robin attempts escaping capture by the Blue Snowman on his own.
Series: Beyond the Action [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1837123
Kudos: 2
Collections: (General) Write to Rank (2020), (World) Beyond the Night (DC Comics/Batman), Focus on Female Characters





	1. Rise to Action: Ice Cold (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer - I don't own Young Justice. This is written for Write to Rank 2 - the Brown Belt round, but this is also an AU to Beyond the Night: Beyond the Team where Red Arrow doesn't help Robin out and instead Robin ends up attempting escape on his own. The second part is for the Red Belt of Write to Rank with the twist of adding in Supergirl who never appeared in Teen Titans or Young Justice, but using the Arrowverse origin for her to build upon. Black Belt involves finishing the story and brining the story to a finish at 10k, or close to it.

His head throbbed.

Slowly, Robin's eyes opened, a bright light shining in and blinding him visually. The young vigilante took a deep breath, his mind contemplating his current situation. Eventually, his vision cleared revealing a chamber with icy walls. His eyes opened and closed again, his head turning so he might see what restrained him. Robin's eyes squinted, making out his hands clasped in some form of restraint to the icy cold wall behind him. His fingers flexed instinctively.

" _What happened?_ "

Briefly, Robin closed his eyes. Multiple memories flooded his mind, such as Batman telling the team the mission involved recon only, and how a conversation regarding using others as bait – something he'd definitely not done – devolved into Red Arrow outright telling him he should go and make friends his own age. He remembered foolishly taking off on the older teen and his best friend Kid Flash arguing on the coms which in turn made Robin finally throw his own communication device away so he couldn't hear the two bickering with each other.

That's when he saw the blue snowman.

In fact, seeing the blue snowman occurred right before blacking out, meaning he'd inevitably found himself captured by the person Batman assigned the team to do recon on. Taking a deep breath, Robin assessed his situation. He felt cold despite the winter gear he wore. He felt especially cold around the backside, but opening his eyes he saw himself looking at a room made of ice, possibly explaining the chill coursing through his body. His mask thankfully remained on his face, meaning the blue snowman didn't know his identity.

"Bats would kill me." Robin's head turned despite the pain so he might look at his wrist clasped in the restraint, knowing full well every member of the team would face the wrath of Batman once they got back simply because he didn't manage to avoid capture, not to mention the team hadn't yet selected a leader. Without a clear leader and no way of communicating with the team, let alone for the team to track his whereabouts, the chances of someone coming to his rescue were slim.

Wiggling his hand slightly, Robin's eyes narrowed while he focused on the picklock hidden in the gloves he wore, letting the device move towards his fingers. In the back of his mind, he hoped his grip on the picklock wouldn't fail before proceeding in manipulating the lock with his fingers. Eventually, the lock clicked open, letting Robin let out a sigh of relief as the one hand moved freely. He started working on the other restraint, not knowing the amount of time left before one of the blue snowman's guards checked in on him.

Nobody came, almost as if nobody expected the young vigilante waking up when he did.

Finally dropping to the ground having released his feet as well, Robin crouched down slightly, examining his surroundings even more before standing and stretching. His body didn't feel quite right, what with the cold coursing through his bones and the way his muscles stiffened up. He did see a door at a point of view he couldn't see before and headed to the door, leaning in close listening for any movement outside of the door.

Hearing nothing, he opened the door, glancing cautiously around before heading towards what he hoped would prove some kind of exit. He turned his head a few times – painful as it was – so he might look over his shoulder and see if anyone came up behind, before peeking around the corner. Robin sucked in his breath upon seeing a couple of goons standing there, chatting away as if nothing happened. He tried listening in to the conversation yet found focusing difficult what with how his head throbbed.

"Hey!"

Hearing the rather loud voice, Robin turned his head and let out a deep sigh, realizing upon seeing the person just how much he'd let his guard down because of the head injury. Instinctively, he darted around the corner, further startling the two goons who heard the voice calling out. He dove towards the floor, taking advantage of the icy floor and sliding between the goons' feet to the other side feet first.

He quickly maneuvered his small body over his feet, fighting back the urge of throwing up because of how his head hurt before darting forward at a run. From behind, he heard the three goons crashing into each other. " _Thank goodness they don't know how to run on ice._ " Taking a deep breath, Robin darted around a corner only to backtrack quickly down another hall upon seeing another goon who'd not yet seen him, before running down the hall which twisted towards the left abruptly.

A door loomed ahead of him, and his hand reached for the doorknob, opening up the door to...

... bright sunlight which definitely affected his ability to see. Robin let out a muffled curse, his small frame stumbling forward down a snow-covered path his eyes couldn't quite make out while they attempted adjusting to the bright light. He kept moving forward, knowing full well the goons were after him. An alarm suddenly went off – a bit delayed possibly – making his head hurt even worse. Robin clenched his teeth together, heading forward while trying to make out the path from the snow.

The sound of a gun going off made Robin dive forward instinctively so he might get away from his pursuers, of whom he heard talking from behind him. He realized too late the way the path turned away from an edge, his momentum carrying him over. Taking a deep breath, he somehow remembered how best to fall – something he learned during his circus days, yet knowing doesn't provide an absolute defense against injuries caused by a fall.

Ice cold rocks scrapped against his right arm and his backside, tearing at his cape and the cloth which covered his right arm, but the landing resulted in definite pain in his ankle because of the uneven terrain he still couldn't quite make out because of the bright sunlight. Somehow, he remembered something important despite everything happening – the winter clothes he wore blended into the snow for camouflage purposes.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, sinking back into the rocky area he landed in, contemplating his options. Robin's upper teeth bit down slightly on his tongue, preventing him from letting out a loud curse upon realizing the camouflage wouldn't prevent just the goons from finding him. He opened and closed his eyes, letting his eyes adjust to the bright sunlight. More specifically, the sunlight didn't shine as brightly with a slight change in the weather.

Robin shook his head, looking for anything which might allow him some kind of bearing on his location, his fingers struggling with the computer located in the wrist of his glove. Speaking softly in case one of the goons – or the blue snowman for that matter – were listening, he shook his head slightly, fighting back the urge to vomit again. "The map's useless unless I can..."

He brushed aside the thought, but while his eyes still adjusted, he attempted seeking information regarding the blue snowman – who turned out to be the villain Blue Snowman. Of course, his head hurt when he tried discovering more information regarding the villain which might help him should they show up again. Letting out a sigh, his mind focused on finding something which might give him a clue regarding where he was while listening for the possible approach of someone.

"Yeah. You can't read anything right now, so looking at a map would help you how?" Robin shook his head, a hand jumping up so he might cover his mouth, yet again fighting back the urge to throw up. He's moved to fast too quickly. His eyes closed, thinking of what Batman told him he should do in such a situation. "Go downhill and follow the river or road if one can find one, keeping out of sight as much as possible."

Taking a deep breath, Robin stepped forward, wincing upon putting weight on his injured leg. Shaking his head, he grabbed hold of the rocky terrain and started hobbling down the slope, hoping he wouldn't lose his balance. His mind attempted making out something in the snow-covered place, yet he found himself unsure regarding the slightly flat area along with what looked like a frozen river. Mentally, he estimated the distance around fifty feet, yet how far he'd find himself following the river he did not know.

He continued walking, moving unsteadily because of his injuries and the cold. Mentally, Robin cursed the fact his body lacked his usual agility, yet even more so when he heard someone shout, "There he is!"

Robin's head turned towards the voice, realizing now that the path which turned away also turned back. He saw not three, but four goons on the path which he'd fallen off of. Instinctively, he turned so he faced them, yet slowly backed away, mentally forgetting the frozen river which now loomed behind him rather than in front of him. He felt his chest rise then stagger, a slight panic setting in. He saw one of the men lift a gun up.

Instinctively he darted, mentally knowing he needs something between him and the gun, just in time for one of the men to say. "Don't. The Blue Snowman wants the kid alive."

"Yeah, but..."

The next thing Robin heard was a cracking sound. Looking down, he saw exactly how poorly his instincts worked. His head hurt, preventing him from focusing on the details of his surrounding like Batman taught him, while the bright sunlight also prevented him from seeing distinctly, although this somewhat improved; his eyesight didn't improve though before he found himself standing on a frozen river, the ice obviously weakened by the intense sunlight.

He turned his head, watching the men get closer, the ice still shifting and cracking underneath him. He backed away, remaining low to the ground so the ice might not break further. Robin glanced up, swallowing, hoping one of the goons wouldn't attempt...

One of the goons stepped out onto the ice, his full weight placed on one spot majorly affecting the rest of the ice quickly. Robin watched the cracks in the ice race towards him while two of the other goons pulled the one goon foolish enough to step onto the ice away just as his foot went through. The ice continued cracking, but Robin's weight shifted in a manner it shouldn't have, his palm pressing down on a rather weak spot in the ice.

Robin felt himself slipping backward ever so slightly which in turn made him shift his weight forward towards the rather large cracks in front of him. The ice started slipping, unable to stay in one piece, yet he found himself sliding towards the water. The boot of his injured leg started slipping into the icy cold water first, making escape even harder. He heard the goons call out, probably more frantic for their own skins than his own, yet none of that mattered.

Everything occurred faster than Robin might react, particularly with his injures. He found himself slipping under, into the icy cold waters. Somehow, one of his hands reached for his utility belt, pulling out the rebreather which would allow him to breathe underwater, yet in the back of Robin's mind he knew he'd lose consciousness from the cold, and the device would slip from his hands.

His eyes closed and then opened, able to see a lot clearer without the bright sunlight reflecting off everything, yet in the same regard the bright sunlight provided a very eerie light from above as the layer of ice became distant – closing in above him. Robin's eyes closed, feeling the water surround his body while the cold continued seeping in.

Instinct kicked in again as did him not wanting to die. His small body attempted pushing at everything which tried pulling him in, his free hand reaching up for the light above, yet even this wouldn't last much longer.


	2. Rise to Action: Ice Cold (Part 2)

Time – Robin knew he didn't have time.

The young vigilante took in what he could, yet mentally his senses started failing. Hazily he noted the fact on top of no longer feeling the pain he also no longer felt cold. His legs continued kicking up while his gloved hand reached up towards the spot he'd entered the ice.

Truth – Robin didn't know if the spot above him with the light filtering through in an eerie manner was even the place he went into the ice.

The rebreather remained in his mouth, allowing him the ability to breathe underwater, yet the air he took in remain cold. The loss of feeling in his body also meant his motor skills which allowed his fingers to continue gripping the device were in fact fading away. His eyes closed behind the mask, his mind mentally preparing for his doom. Instinctively, he wanted to scream despite knowing this action would prove pointless if not to ensure his death.

Opening his eyes, he saw the light changed – a shadow looming in the eerie light just as a fist pounded into the ground, no, ice, which prevented him from escaping the watery grave. Mentally, he expected a larger fist and thicker form – that of Superboy, yet this first which crashed through the ice, reaching down so the fingers might grip onto his uniform was smaller, daintier, with delicate fingers in comparison. Bubbles shooting up from his mouth indicated the rebreather started slipping, leaving Robin...

...

The darkness and coldness of outer space greeted every spaceship piercing a path through the galaxies. Everyone upon one of these crafts hoped for an unhindered journey, yet every so often an unexpected anomaly might send the occupants on an unexpected journey either physically or metaphysically.

Her own pod hurtled for who knew how long, attempting to reach the preassigned destination so that she might proceed with the task her father and mother set for her before placing her on the spacecraft bound for the planet _he_ was bound for. In the back of her mind, while remaining in stasis, the mission entrusted upon her remained a major focus despite not understanding why her parents placed her into the small ship.

She remained unaware of time passing outside of the small craft, let alone the fact time didn't pass for her. She knew nothing regarding the events transpiring outside which sent her ship into the Phantom Zone, how the ship spun through space into the dark abyss, yet she did remember waking up. Loneliness greeted her along with the feeling of not knowing what she should do, let alone how she came to be in the place.

Eventually, her pod left the zone and continued on the journey towards her set destination – the destination _he_ was bound for.

Again, she didn't know how much time passed on her journey towards the planet she only caught a brief glimpse of before her pod started entering the planet's atmosphere. Instead, she saw an orange glow created by the pod's entry while feeling the entire pod shake while hearing a cacophony of noise from outside. The trajectory ended with a resounding crashing sound found outside while her body felt slightly jolted by the landing.

The view outside of the pod didn't clear, instead of becoming replaced by a blanket of white.

Her pod opened up, the blanket of white assaulting her while the lights in the cockpit of the pod blinked red, indicating failure of the systems. Kara pushed herself out into the white blanket of snow, her eyes blinking and looking around for some kind of shelter. Dimly, she made out the rocky terrain before heading towards what looked like a cave while the snow continued falling. A shiver ran down her spine, yet she soon found herself within the cave, somehow conserving her body heat while the storm lasted.

When the storm finally ended, Kara left the cave and looked around her surroundings. A thick layer of snow covered everything, including the pod she came in. The hot sun, however, beat down on her skin, feeling quite rejuvenating. Her eyes closed, her thoughts turning towards what her parents told her before she fell asleep in the pod they placed her in.

Destiny.

Kara remembered the mission entrusted upon her, although she didn't know how she'd find her young cousin her parents wished for her to protect. Closing her eyes and soaking in the warm sun after holing up in the cave, she pondered what possible powers she might have on what felt like a forsaken planet devoid of life. She took a deep breath of the frosted air, carefully contemplating how she might survive.

The sun felt wonderful – energizing even.

...

More time passed.

Snow fell covering the pod, hiding the device from view, yet a stick stuck into the snow helped Kara remember the location. She also started discovering her powers.

She discovered her super-strength when her frustration regarding her perplexing situation got the better of her, her fist smashing through a rock crumbling the solid feature to dust. The discovery of her heat vision came in handy, given the fact this allowed her the ability to start a fire. She also found herself able to hear things from a long distance, allowing her the ability of not only avoiding the predatory creatures on the forsaken planet she found herself on but also the humanoids on the planet.

The humanoids of the planet...

Kara didn't know what to think of the humanoids beyond the fact she didn't know whether or not she could trust them. They dressed in clothing which definitely kept them warm against the weather but spoke a language she didn't understand. A childish instinct flickered in the back of her mind, urging her to trust adults because adults should protect children. On the other hand, she remembered how her father and uncle whispered; while she only ever heard brief snatches of the conversation, they were enough to let her know adults weren't necessarily to be trusted.

She kept her distance, carefully watching their movements for a few days, and letting the translation device her mother attached to her wrist work on translating the language. The device translated a few snatches of the conversations, still working on calculating the patterns in the language, yet what she heard let her know these humanoids were up to no good.

" _Don't approach them for help. They'll likely rather dissect you rather than help you._ "

Still, the thought didn't prevent her from following them and finding the icy fortress. She found herself curious regarding what lay inside the building which resulted in the vision which allowed her to see inside of the fortress in front of her kicking in, yet what she saw told her very little regarding the place beyond how many came and went. In the back of her mind, she wanted to take supplies from them, almost justifying doing so by the fact she knew the people in front of her weren't trusty.

One of the men – a frozen man with a dome covering his head – reminded her of Brainiac which for some reason sent chills down her spine. She brushed this aside, noticing the disappearance of the man and a few others soon after she came. In the back of her mind, she debated a few more times whether she should take supplies from the place, even find a map so she might find someone more inclined to help her.

The debate of whether she should result in her finding herself near the frozen fortress when an alarm drew her attention, drawing her attention towards one of the exits from the fortress. In the back of her mind, Kara wondered if she suspected something different today, given one of the freak storms which only lasted a short period of time randomly cropping up earlier. Regardless, her eyes picked up on a figure much smaller than the other figures she saw right before they burst through the exit.

Letting her vision clear, Kara frowned.

Those inside the frozen fortress chased a child or someone who appeared to be such from the distance she stood. Her hand gripped the nearby tree, her body warming from the sun which shown down while her mind contemplated what kind of move she should make. He hurried down the path, stumbling as he did so. Kara felt her mouth open, her mind wondering why someone so young might be involved with the sketchy people she'd discovered near her crash site.

" _Except, you're still a child yourself. Look at how you found yourself forced onto this foreign planet and supposed to look after your infant cousin you honestly don't know how to find._ "

The boy quickly neared the spot where the path turned to head down to the river when Kara heard a loud bang as she stood camouflaged in the snow with her white outfit, a shiver running down her spine. She saw the boy dive forward, not seeing the edge of the cliff. He disappeared out of sight, making her feel concerned as the men from the icy fortress hurried down the path.

" _You shouldn't be getting yourself involved._ " One voice in the back of her head said, yet another said, " _Not getting involved wouldn't be the right thing to do._ "

She moved forward on her side of the river, keeping out of sight and not making a sound, hoping she might get a better look at where the youth disappeared to when he fell. At first, she didn't see him and instead saw the men approaching the spot from the path. Yet, just as they neared the spot she saw the boy approach the river. She heard the men voice the fact they also noticed the boy, which made the youth turn and look at them.

She also saw him back out onto the ice in an attempt to get away from the men. She saw the ice also break and the boy go in. Without thinking, she reacted, hurrying down the steep slope, rocks flying up as she did. She leaped across the river, landing in a manner which knocked the goons off their feet. She then stood up, her fist contacting one of the men's faces.

Instinctively, for some reason, she held back on the strength used, almost as if she knew this would cause harm to the humans living on the planet. She then proceeded in taking out the other three goons in the same manner. With every single one knocked unconscious, she turned her attention towards the ice which already formed a thin layer again over the place the youth fell in. Seeing a shadow only a few feet away, she pulled back her fist, she didn't hold back.

The ice cracked under her fist, the cold a definite irritation. Her hand reached down, seeing the hand reaching up in an attempt to escape from the icy waters. She pulled the young boy up out of the water just as a device dropped from his hands into the water below. He remained unconscious, unbreathing. Lightly, she pressed against his chest, using as little of her strength as possible. She watched him cough up the water, his eyes opening.

Her eyes turned towards the goons and their warm clothing, a thought crossing her mind.

...

The rebreather slipped from Robin's mouth and ice-cold water slipped into his lungs while blackness for a moment surrounded his consciousness. The next thought of awareness crossing his mind came from the awareness of something pressing against his chest and the icy water leaving his lungs. He otherwise felt numb. His eyes opened and saw someone kneeling next to him, but behind the person lay one of the goons who chased him down the path.

Robin's eyes closed, a thought crossing his mind somehow despite the numbness wracking his body. " _Batman's going to kill me._ "

After all, Batman was Batman.

He watched the person stand up, his body lying on the rocky ground of the riverside. They walked over towards one of the men. Slowly more of the person's features came into view, from their feminine figure to the white clothing. He watched her kneel next to one of the people she knocked out, her blond hair cascading around her shoulders. Her white clothing was slightly stained from the wilderness, but slowly she removed the man's jacket before moving onto another one of the men doing the same thing.

She stood up and walked back, the jackets swung over her shoulder. She knelt down again, lifting him up from the ground before hoisting him over her other shoulder. His arms hung limply, unable to move from the numbness, yet at least he remained aware.

As such, he felt her jump across the riverbed, landing on the other side before jumping up the full length of the steep, rocky slope by the river. She continued jumping long distances, much in the same manner Superboy did, landing in a manner that jarred his entire body. The distance from the place continued increasing, the scenery becoming a white blur around him. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

The breath resulted in a coughing fit which resulted in her saying they were almost there in the language the men used. Thankfully – the language was one of the ones he understood. As such, he heard her tell him to hang on – that they might be there soon, wherever _there_ happened to be. The fact she jumped in the manner she did definitely stuck out in his brain, making him contemplate who she might be, yet his mind nothing came to mind.

Eventually, they arrived at a cave where she leaned him up against the cave wall. His eyes took in the fire pit in the middle of the cave, his mind wondering how long the young girl in front of him was out in the wilderness, let alone how she took care of herself given the sparse resources. Even the fact she remained hidden from the Blue Snowman and the Blue Snowman's allies perplexed him, yet his mind refused to function properly.

She moved back out into the sunlight, leaving him alone to the thoughts which didn't function properly. His lungs ached from the exposure to the icy water, but his eyes drooped slightly.

He heard her come back, the rocks at the entrance shifting under her weight. Then came the sound of wood dropping onto the floor of the cave. His eyes remained focused on the cold fire pit, so Robin saw when she started putting the wood into the middle of the cave. Robin continued sitting their limply, watching her set everything up, wondering in the back of her mind how she'd light the fire in front of her with the lack of tools on her person.

Then her eyes glowed brightly. The brightness reminded him of something his mind didn't quite place right before a pair of bright beams launched out of her eyes, lighting up the fire. She then moved towards him, making his eyes close, quite unsure of what the strange girl had in mind for him.

Warning bells suddenly went off in his head when she reached for his mask and one of his hands reached up, gripping her hand, almost begging her in some manner not to remove the mask. Yet, physically his body held little to no strength and her next words – sounding a bit off for some strange reason remarked about how she needed to get him out of the wet clothes, or at least as much as possible.

Mentally, he knew she wasn't wrong.

Soon, he found himself in just the lower part of his uniform with one of the warm coats she'd stolen off of the minion of the Blue Snowman wrapped around his shoulders. Her hands – he watched her hold them out over the fire before bringing them over towards his arms so she might rub some heat back in them. The fire also gave off a level of warmth that warmed his body, making the numbness felt from falling into the icy cold water disappear.

His eyes closed, his mental capacities slowly returning.

He remembered things, such as how protective Batman was regarding their secret identities and how his eyes remained an identifying feature people couldn't help noticing. Batman would – when he eventually found himself rescued by the team or even the league would be far from pleased regarding his current condition. His head tilted up, taking in the way his head and the rest of his body hurt – the injuries being felt now that his body no longer felt numb.

Of course, he also remembered how her eyes glowed bright, before a pair of bright beams shot out, lighting up the fire. The action reminded him of something he at the time couldn't quite place, yet now he found himself able to place. He found himself reminded of the attack done by Superman, yet in the back of his mind, he wondered if she were yet another clone like Superboy, or...

"You're a Kryptonian, aren't you?"

The girl paused, looking at him in surprise. She let go of his arm before backing away. Her blue eyes looked at him warily, yet he honestly couldn't blame her. Eventually, she said, "You know about Krypton?"

"Yes, well..." He pulled the hood of the coat over his face so his eyes might become hidden from view. "Superman is a Kryptonian."

"So there are more of us alive?"

Listening to her words, they seemed broken, almost as if she taught herself the language. Mentally, Robin knew this meant she wasn't a clone, yet he still knew little about her.

"Superman isn't a Kryptonian name."

"No." Robin closed his eyes, wondering what he should tell her. Of course, while few on Earth knew Superman's secret identity as Clark Kent, they did know his Kryptonian name. He took and then said the name. "His Kryptonian name is Kal-El."

She reacted, yet the way he reacted – she looked a bit taken aback by the news. "That's not possible."

"What do you mean?"

"He..." She glanced away, folding her arms across her chest, saying no more.


	3. Rise to Action: Ice Cold (Part 3)

“What do you mean he isn’t here?”

The Blue Snowman’s voice echoed through the room where once the young protégé of Batman was held captive.

Capturing the young protegee of Batman proved a lucky break, something the other ice villains who helped create the icy fortress missed out on by heading off to cause trouble while expecting the Blue Snowman to remain behind and take care of the ice fortress. Of course, the appearance of the young vigilante also meant the Justice League likely knew something regarding this location and thus their plans, thus making the situation even more precarious.

Ending up on the receiving end of the Batman’s wrath was one thing but being on the receiving end of the Batman’s wrath because something happened to his protégé.

The few minions from the fortress in the room cringed, their warm clothing missing and thus not preventing the cold from the snow-covered landscape from creeping deep into their bones, in fact, perhaps they cringed more from the cold than from the Blue Snowman’s wrath, not to mention they didn’t think the minions in front of them really truly understood like someone deeper into the supervillain game how terrifying Batman became when his protégé was in danger.

At first, nothing seemed amiss. The discovered Batman’s protege out on his own in the snow, knocked him out and brought him back, safely securing him in the icy room to the icy wall. Then, they heard the alarm going off. The Blue Snowman’s first reaction was thinking Batman actually arrived meaning they would need to do with the Batman’s wrath, but at least not as wrathful as the Batman would be once they learned what transpired after the capture of his protégé.

Mentally, the Blue Snowman cursed their luck.

They arrived at the room and discovered no captive in the room, meaning Robin escaped on his own. They wondered how Robin managed this, given the fact – in all honesty, they’d not properly searched the boy for anything which might allow the boy the ability to escape his restraints. They called into the surveillance room – something they should have done sooner, asking where Robin disappeared to.

This led to the person left in charge of the surveillance to give in full detail how Robin slipped by without even them noticing – something the Blue Snowman would need to address later, before someone catching sight of the young vigilante and giving chase. They existed out one of the side exits which is where the surveillance ended. They headed straight towards the exist themselves and down the long, winding path where they discovered the minions who followed after Robin knocked unconscious.

A couple were missing

With a wave of the hand of the Blue Snowman suit, they indicated the minions following after should wake them up. When the minions came to, they asked, “Where is he?”

“We don’t know.” One of the men let out a groan as if remembering whatever knocked them out.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean, he’s not here obviously.”

“Which way did he go?”

“I don’t know,” one of the minions said.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I said I mean I don’t know which way they went.”

“Who are they? What do you mean by they?”

That was when the Blue Snowman realized exactly what kind of situation their minions put them in as the minions relayed how they’d chased Robin down the path, shooting at the young vigilante meaning Robin might have a bullet injury, yet if that weren’t enough the boy toppled over the edge in his attempt at escaping the bullet. He then fell through the ice, only to be rescued by some strange girl with blonde hair and super strength.

“Alright then. Which way did they go?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I was unconscious.”

The Blue Snowman pondered this for a moment, looking around for any clues regarding the direction the rescuer and rescue headed. A thought crossed her mind. “Which way did they come from?”

One of the men pointed up the rocky slope on the other side of the river, indicating the person came from above. A grumble escaped the Blue Snowman’s throat; they felt irritated in the fact they would need to go and investigate the other side, yet doing so would require time.

**M**

A fire crackled in the fireplace.

Raven – Rachel – sat staring at the fire, her hands resting on the armrests of the chair she sat on.

Every so often her eyes drifted over towards Bruce Wayne who sat as if nothing happened, yet she knew in the back of her mind she knew that night she’d done what Robin usually did – accompany Batman on his routine missions. The experience still felt odd, if not outright like a strange betrayal of her friend, not to mention Robin remained absent from the room, adding to said feeling.

“ _You know Batman picked you up while Robin was away taking care of other business as a surprise, so why are you so stuck on the fact you spent time with Batman,”_ the voice in her head said, only for another to pipe up, “ _because you know how sensitive about such things._ ” The previous voice replied with, “ _knowing how sensitive Robin is regarding certain things, why not take up Bruce’s invitation to attend Gotham Academy, even live here?_ ”

After all, the reason for such an invitation stemmed directly from Dick Grayson having no friends at school. She’d know about the issue since her time as a Teen Titan, yet found herself unable to do much regarding such matters given her status as an enigma – a child with no home to call her own outside of the tower. She wasn’t a people person, nor was she sure she could blend into school.

Yet, for Robin…

Alfred’s voice drew both of their attention to the door. The Wayne family butler remained emotionless, his face revealing nothing, yet the emotionless faces on both Alfred and Bruce’s face did nothing to hide their actual feelings from the young empath. As such, she easily picked up on the feeling of dread emanating off the old man, yet felt dread wash over herself. “Sir. There’s a message from the league. Something’s happened to Robin.”

“Don’t you mean there’s something that happened to Robin and the team?” One of Bruce’s eyebrows shot up, the smile on his face starting to fall, yet the emotions emanating off of the man wasn’t yet peeking like that of the old man.

“No. Something happened specifically to Robin.”

The smile on Bruce’s face faded with the news something happened to his protégé. Raven watched the man stand up to his full height, her breath sucking in while she watched the man head to the old clock in his study, not to mention she felt the dark emotions radiating from the man – she pitied whoever came between the man and Robin. He paused briefly, saying, “Are you coming Raven?”

The question didn’t need answering – in truth, she’d have found a way to follow the man if he’d not given her permission to go with him. She stepped into the hidden passageway behind the clock and onto the elevator which led down to the bat caves below. She felt her throat tighten, her heart pounding mildly while she mentally told herself she needed to keep her emotions in check lest she lost control of her powers.

When they arrived down in the Batcave, she stepped behind a partisan so she might change out of her civvies, a breath of relief escaping her lungs; her usual attire felt like a second skin, quite comfortable for someone like herself. She didn’t see Bruce changing into Batman, yet she knew the man was there, just out of sight. She also felt his emotions; she felt him change from Bruce Wayne into _the_ Batman, yet the emotions she felt made her stomach churn ever so slightly.

Shaking the feeling off, she headed towards the Batplane, climbing into the front seat next to Robin’s mentor. “ _Working with him earlier this evening felt different. What you feel now – I wouldn’t want to get between him and whoever’s hurt, Robin._ ” She then thought, “ _Someone’s hurt, Robin. I don’t…_ ”

She didn’t believe it. Such a thing was difficult to believe.

The Batplane whirred to life, lifting up off the ground and heading to wherever Robin was – wherever this _team_ was.

**M**

“Why? Why did you _have_ to say what you did to Robin?”

“What do you mean?”

Kid Flash struggled in frustration with how oblivious Red Arrow remained regarding his treatment of Robin.

Everything started when the team got a mission. Well, everything started before with a mission a few days prior to where Robin ended up grazed by a bullet simply because Red Arrow didn’t understand Robin as a person capable of taking care of himself. The manner in which the older teen spoke to the younger protegee kept burning in Kid Flash’s thoughts – Robin of course brushed if off pointing out the fact Red Arrow didn’t mean to.

The fact Red Arrow didn’t mean to didn’t change the fact the older teen’s words hurt Robin to the core, nor did it change the fact someone should have done something sooner.

Instead, Batman sent the team on a mission and their latest adult guardian from the Justice League decided on joining them for observation purposes; Roy took issue with the fact Zatanna was only a few years older than him playing into his ire regarding how he felt the older vigilante didn’t take them seriously, but Robin’s quip about Roy needing a babysitter didn’t help.

“ _He wouldn’t have said that though if Roy didn’t keep treating him like a little kid._ ”

When they landed in the icy abyss they now found themselves in - after an embarrassing take off for Robin – Kid Flash soon found himself searching for his friend, Red Arrow’s words still echoing through his head adding to his already existing feelings of frustrations.

“ _Go make friends with your own age Robin. I’m sure they’d enjoy…_ ”

“ _My company!_ ”

“ _being used as bait._ ”

Robin took off on them at that point – not that Kid Flash blamed him, given how unlike the other members of the team he knew Robin didn’t have any friends his age – simply acquaintances. He’d made the mistake of saying as much when Robin went off on everyone, reminding them, he heard everything; he followed suit by tossing away his communication device.

Of course, Kid Flash knew partial blame for Robin taking off as he did fell on his shoulders for his disappearances for speaking as if Robin couldn’t hear, making the agitation he felt much worse.

Kid Flash sped off without receiving any instruction from their mentor, grumbling about looking for Robin on his own. More specifically, he headed straight for the frozen fortress despite knowing Batman gave the order of observing and doing nothing else. His stomach churned at the thought of leaving Robin behind, let alone not doing anything about their current situation

“ _We need to regroup and discuss what’s happened,”_ Aqualad said over the communication device.

Kid Flash stopped, placing a finger on his communication device. “No time.”

“ _Come on. You just accused me of…_ ”

“Shut up!”

“ _Well, you did blame this on me._ ”

Superboy spoke at that point. “ _Well, isn’t it? I mean, even I know what you said wasn’t very nice._ ”

“ _Excuse me?_ ”

“ _We need to focus on finding Robin, Red Arrow._ ” Aqualad piped up.

“I am looking for him.”

“ _What if he’s injured?_ ” Zatanna asked.

“What do you mean? Of course, he’d be injured, otherwise, he’d never be captured.”

“ _Then we should contact…_ ”

“ _Hell no!_ ” Roy of course didn’t like said idea. Neither did Kid Flash.

“ _Robin’s the only one who can fly the plane, remember, and he can’t very well do that if he’s injured._ ”

Kid Flash swallowed. “I’ll find Robin.”

“ _Not on your own._ ”

Kid Flash found himself annoyed by Aqualad’s words, but the sound of an alarm going off at the icy fortress. “No time. No time. I’ve got to find Robin.”

“ _Hold on._ ”

He didn’t listen to Aqualad. In fact, the others said a few things he didn’t hear. By the time he arrived at the icy fortress, little time passed given his speed ability He didn’t find anybody guarding the entrance and rushed in, looking at one room and then another, yet didn’t find anything – not until he found himself in the security room for the ice fortress, his mind contemplating how a building of ice might contain wiring without having issues, yet brushed this aside.

The minion in question spoke over some kind of communication device while Kid Flash looked over his shoulder, yet he found himself amazed the man didn’t notice the opening and closing of doors while he went looking for his best friend. He did see the minions coming back in one door without Robin and back through another. He sped through, looking for the exact spot, not stopping and thinking whether he appeared on any camera. He finally found the door and headed through, his finger touching the communication device.

“I don’t think Robin’s at the ice fortress.”

“ _What do you mean? The alarm is going off_ ” Red Arrow of course sound annoyed with him, yet another vigilante.

“ _Because the alarm went off because Robin managed to escape despite his injuries, but that makes it even more important that we find him._ ”

“ _Yeah, but how are we supposed to find him if he’s not there?_ ”

Kid Flash answered Superboy. “Because I know what entrance they went out to go and look for Robin. It’s one that leads to this bridge that crosses the river, almost as if they couldn’t get to that place from where they were before.”

“ _Yes. But how did Robin get up to the other side?_ ”

“ _That isn’t important Red Arrow so much as finding him,”_ Aqualad said. He then said, “ _We’ll come to your location if you turn on your tracking device._ ”

“I need to follow them. _”_

 _“Definitely agreed, but stay out of sight,_ ” Aqualad ordered

“ _Sure. He wasn’t very good at…_ ”

“Neither were you,” Kid Flash snapped at Red Arrow.

**M**

“ _Enemy or foe?_ ” Robin remained sitting by the fire, watching the alien girl carefully. The manner in which her facial features twisted indicated disappointment, yet he struggled in fathoming the reason behind the disappointment beyond the fact said disappointment tied in some manner into hearing Superman’s Kryptonian name; his mind – still abuzz from the strain put on his body – remained fuzzy regarding figuring out how he might approach her regarding the issue, particularly with her limited skills with the Earth language.

He then realized mentally he’d slipped up and mentally switched “ _friend_ ” for “ _enemy_ ”. Taking a deep breath despite the pain he felt – a coughing fit set in and the young vigilante doubled over. He lifted a gloved hand to his mouth, fearing he might pull the hand away and reveal blood, thankfully finding simply moisture instead. His lungs definitely did hurt from his time in the icy water.

Batman wouldn’t be pleased.

Of course, the thought which crossed his mind right as the coughing fit hit…

“Are you okay?” She spoke in broken Russian.

Sitting up straight, Robin carefully took in the place around him, his fingers reflexively going to his tool belt. How she survived he didn’t know, but something told him despite the paranoia ingrained into him by Batman regarding – well, everything, that the girl in front of him was no enemy. How she survived as long as she did, he honestly didn’t know, but he almost found himself looking her in the eye.

Only, he remembered the fact his robin blue eyes were quite visible as his mask no longer covered them.

He cleared his throat. “I’m fine. How long have you been here?”

“I don’t know.”

Robin’s eyes closed, contemplating a way he might be able to judge how long she’d been there. “How many suns?”

Nothing came, meaning the girl pondered what he said, likely translating in her mind what he meant. “Three or four?”

“ _She’s lucky then._ ” Robin let out a sigh, unsure of how he should proceed, given the fact his situation – her situation – was definitely far from ideal. He took a deep breath – well, almost did, remembering how this sent him into a coughing fit.

“Are you okay?”

Robin’s eyes opened, wondering how he might say something which would alleviate the older girl's worry. He let his eyes drift up so he might see what she looked like without hopefully revealing his eye color. Blond hair, blue eyes – definitely physically older, but then he was physically small for his age, or at least some confused him for being much younger than he really was.

“No. You’re not okay.” She said those words as if she felt dumb for saying something which in Earth culture was a polite thing to say when one suspected something was wrong with another. “Can I do…”

“No.” He cleared his throat, clearing out some of the painful fluids which were still in his lungs. His body shivered – a good sign given the fact moments before he didn’t’ shiver at all. The top of his uniform – the winter stealth – now hung from his body almost dry, so he started pulling the clothing back on which would in turn lead to the mask coming back on. He heard a sound, indicating she didn’t think this a good idea. “I’ll be fine. They’re almost dry.”

With his mask back on, he now found himself looking right at her – her and her blond hair and blue eyes. The color of her eyes definitely reminded her of another, so he found himself asking, “Are you related to Superman?”

“Kal-El?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“You sound disappointed.”

She pondered the question a bit. “He’s not a child anymore?”

“Um – there’s a reason we call him Superman.” His eyes narrowed. “You were expecting him to be – like, an infant, weren’t you?” He’d said _that_ out loud, yet thought. “ _Great. Another Kryptonian with Superman issues. Worse. This one Superman’s actually likely to get involved with. SB’s going to have even more of a father complex – if that’s what you can call it._ ”

She lifted her head up from looking at the ground, her mouth opening when they both heard something from outside. Specifically, they heard voices – the voices weren’t anybody on his team.

**M**

“Fill me in on what’s going on Zatanna.”

Raven slightly hunkered down in the Batplane looking out the window. If they traveled during the day, the landscape would likely whiz by, yet instead, the sight which greeted her vision was utter darkness. She didn’t know how she felt regarding the team, given the fact Robin ended up in major trouble on their watch.

“ _You’re one to talk though, given how you brought your own father down on the heads of the Teen Titans,_ ” the voice in her head chimed in, yet another voice said, “ _yeah, but Batman said something about how I’d feel if Robin isn’t the leader meaning the team is so new they’ve not picked a leader yet._ ”

“Who am I speaking too?”

“Batman. Raven is also with me.”

“You mean the girl I’m supposed to take on as my student?”

“This isn’t how I wanted the two of you to meet. I’d also planned on surprising Robin by her presence. Back to my initial request. Fill me in on what’s going on.”

“One of Robin’s teammates said something he shouldn’t have which made Robin take off.”

Raven felt a flare of anger spill off Batman making her realize she’d turn so she might look at him while he spoke; there was no getting around the fact Robin did something Batman taught him not to do, so unless there was a good explanation…

“I think his goal was to cool his head and calm down, but the fact he wasn’t calm when he took off is what I think led to this situation, so don’t be angry with him. From the sounds of things, the other team members haven’t been quite pleased with Red Arrow’s – let’s just say he majorly underestimated Robin because of his age, although I may have made that mistake initially as well. I don’t think he’ll listen to me either due to how close we are in age.”

“I’ll speak to him. What else?”

“Kid Flash has gone on ahead but turned on his tracking device so the rest of the team can follow. I’m still with the airship, getting the first aide ready if we need it, but I’m hoping we’ll need little if any.”

“Chances are, we’ll need some. Has the team picked a leader yet?”

“Not officially, but I’d argue unofficially it’s Aqualad. He took charge as soon as Robin disappeared. However, I don’t trust Red Arrow’s judgment in that he may still underestimate Robin despite some of the others actually calling him out on the matter. I’m sending you the tracking device and synching you up with the team communications so you can work with them, or I’ll try to. I need to run the simulator still with this plane, which is why I called in – Robin’s the only one who can fly.”

“You’ve done a good job Zatanna. Batman off.” There came a silence, then – “What do you think of your mentor?”

“She sounds like she has her head together. The team, not so much.”

“Aqualad is the one I expected to end up leader of the team if Robin did not.”

“I’m still not sure how I feel about that, given the fact…” She didn’t say anything else regarding the matter, but then said. “Red Arrow’s mine to deal with.”

“Excuse me?”

The feeling which emanated off of Batman indicated he didn’t appreciate her interfering. “Because Robin would never forgive you, and you know that. Me dealing with the matter in my way is a completely different matter.”

“Well, Robin trusted you enough to share his actual secret identity, yet he also snuck you into the manor.” Batman followed up by. “I still need to say what I’m going to say to the team, although I doubt Red Arrow will appreciate my interference in this matter. The landscape started shifting, more light appearing, indicating the Batplane crossing time zones. “And yes. As a member of the team, I will let you handle the matter.”

**M**

Snow crunched below the feet of the Blue Snowman. They and their minions headed back in and out another door towards the bridge which led across the river. More specifically, the group headed towards the area of the other side of the river right across the bank of the river in search of some kind of clue regarding how the girl escaped with Robin. In the back of their mind, they wondered who exactly the girl was who rescued Batman’s young protégé.

Arriving at the other side, the Blue Snowman looked around, quickly catching sight of a disturbance in the ground as if something landed in that spot, yet nothing remained inside of the indent. Their minions looked around, completely oblivious to the indent in the ground and the broken branches. Kneeling down, one gloved hand reached down, touching the indent carefully.

The girl didn’t climb the other side of the river, otherwise, some sign of this would have been seen from where the Blue Snowman stood on the other side of the river, not to mention the girl didn’t have enough time to traverse up the slope of the other side carrying away Robin at the same time; as such, the Blue Snowman concluded the girl utilized super strength which also allowed her the ability to jump quite far.

The close examination of the crater – the Blue Snowman felt they deduced a rough idea regarding the direction the girl jumped towards, although the deduction wasn’t based on “ _an exact science_.” They pointed, their minions gaping at them, almost as if wondering the reason behind the decision for the group heading in the indicated direction, yet they didn’t ask any questions.

In truth – after breaking up into multiple groups, they found herself climbing a little higher on the hill so she might see some more of the indents as they didn’t guess the actual direction the girl took, yet looking out allowed them a glimpse of two more places where the girl landed, finally giving them the information needed for deducting a direction the group should head in. This didn’t stop the minions from grumbling.

The snow continued crunching under the Blue Snowman’s feet while the group continued along. They insisted the minions look around for anything which mind provide some kind of covering for the two they looked for when a message came through.

“ _Boss._ ”

“Yes?”

“ _I saw something on the cameras._ ”

The fact the person watching the cameras noticed something made the Blue Snowman pause. “What did you see?”

“ _That kid wasn’t alone. I saw that kid who’s a sidekick to the Flash pause just outside of your door._ ” The minion then said, “ _I think he’s following you._ ”

“Thank you for letting me know.” Their eyes narrowed, now scanning for the sight of bright yellow against the white landscape and then they saw a yellow blur disappear in one area. They pointed their gloved hand at the figure. “There!”

“You found the kid?”

“I found _a_ kid. Apparently, that wasn’t the only kid here.” They watched as the minions hurried after the protégé of the Flash, making the Blue Snowman let out a groan, knowing full well speed wouldn’t stop a speedster. Of course, the slippery snow did slow speedsters down given the lack of traction, so aiming the ice spikes in a spot just ahead of the young speedster wasn’t a problem.

**M**

Mentally, Kid Flash cursed the way he slipped across the ice, crashing into the ice spikes the Blue Snowman tossed at him. His eyes narrowed, taking in the odd sight of - of all things – a Blue Snowman standing in front of him while the minions of the Ice Fortress gathered around. A few moments ago, things went well; he kept his distance and stayed hidden from the Blue Snowman and their minions.

Things started going downhill when Batman’s voice came over the radio. “ _Aqualad, fill me in on what is going on._ ”

“ _What? Why is…_ ”

“ _Batman is here, Red Arrow because Robin is the only one who is capable of flying the plane out,”_ Aqualad retorted while Kid Flash cursed his luck.

“ _That’s not what I meant. I meant…_ ”

“ _Aqualad, fill me in. We’ll be there quite soon._ ”

A few choice curse words left Red Arrow’s mouth, yet Kid Flash definitely found the conversation distracting, his focus diverted from the task of keeping himself hidden. Still, he didn’t complain when Aqualad filled Batman in, finding himself _glad_ he wasn’t the one doing so. Aqualad kept things simple, yet even those simple words left Kid Flash quite distracted, not noticing he’d caught the attention of the Blue Snowman somehow.

“There!”

Kid Flash let out a sigh upon realizing he’d been caught, yet continued running, keeping out of the reach of the Blue Snowman’s minions. “Guys?”

“ _What?_ ” He wasn’t sure who said _that_ in particular.

“I think I’ve been sighted.”

Red Arrow let out a curse, saying something regarding the failure of the mission not being his fault. This came right before the Blue Snowman launched the icy spikes at his feet, making him attempt skidding into the spikes of ice now lodged into the ground, making him fall backward onto his back. He felt his breath sucked out of his lungs, his back scrapped up slightly underneath his winter stealth from skidding so suddenly.

Sure, the scrapes would quickly heal due to his abilities, yet this didn’t change the fact his back now hurt. He took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing. “I’ve been caught.”

“Yes, you have been,” the Blue Snowman said, glaring down at him from above. “Where are Flash and Batman?”

“What do you mean?” Kid Flash’s eyes narrowed, clearly hearing Aqualad state they were nowhere close enough for the three to do anything while urging Superboy in regards to moving on ahead of him and Red Arrow, when…

“ _We’re almost right above your location,”_ Batman said. “ _I’m sending Raven down._ ”

“ _Who?_ ” Kid Flash’s eyes blinked, wracking his mind regarding a league member named Raven while Red Arrow let Batman know in no uncertain terms the team could handle things.

To which Batman responded, “ _I am letting the team handle things._ ”

Kid Flash’s eyes blinked again right as the Batplane swooped in above. Something dark and ominous dropped from above; the rather dark object plummeted and for a moment he thought the person dropping was none other than the Batman. The Blue Snowman looked up, their eyes narrowed, following the trajectory of said person as they landed feet away.

Kid Flash’s eyes widened, seeing a girl wearing a dark cloak and a leotard rising from the ground, shadows licking out from around her. The girl’s eyes narrowed, the look quite similar to the batglare Batman and Robin were known for. Her focus remained on the Blue Snowman who let out a sigh. The Blue Snowman lifted their pipe, letting off ice spikes from the device, only for the shadows to move, smashing the ice spikes into pieces.

He stood up, glancing around at the minions who started moving towards the girls. Quickly, he moved past a few, knocking them onto their feet. His ears picked up on Raven – as Batman called the girl to speak up. “I don’t need your help.”

The statement for some strange reason irked him slightly. He wanted to make some kind of flippant remark, but then simply said. “I’m not helping you. I’m helping Robin.”

“Oh?” She seemed – honestly just as displeased with that said statement, her shadows lashing out with ease at the minions who tried attacking her. Kid Flash watched them go flying, his mind wondering _where_ Batman found Raven. Whoever she was, she sent the Blue Snowman flying, knocking them onto the ground, yet the Blue Snowman also struggled in getting up.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow move, someone he expected to be Superboy moving in, yet something in his mind noted the shadow may have come from the nearby cave –

Something hurried forward, shattering the earth near Raven’s feet, much in the same manner Superbo normally did, yet this person – they weren’t Superboy.

A girl knelt in the rubble, watching Raven – ho managed levitating out of the way with ease. The girl glared at Raven as if she were the enemy, yet he expected her to attack Raven again from the way she glared at her. It was then that Robin rushed forward, standing between Raven and the strange, blond-haired girl. He said something which made the girl’s facial features change.

Kid Flash’s jaw dropped, quite unsure of what to think.

**M**

His rescuer moved faster than he did in reaction to the noise, but then again, Robin remained injured and definitely chilled to the bone from his plunge into the icy water. He followed after, limping slightly while his head pounded.

While he’d expected – no, hoped the team would show up, he’d not expected the sight of Raven nearby.

He swallowed, mentally checking himself regarding the fact nobody knew he was a former Teen Titan and instead stepped between the two girls. He narrowed his eyes behind the mask. “She’s not the enemy.” He then pointed at Kid Flash. “They’re not the enemy.”

It was at this very moment that the Blue Snowman managed to get up, thanks to the help of some of their minions. Neither girl seemed to notice, although Raven – Robin knew – remained far more aware of her surroundings than others realized. Kid Flash, on the other hand, noticed, his mouth twisting into a grimace while he lifted up his hand so he might point out –

Something crashed right into the woman and set them flying, knocking the head off the costume revealing – a woman in the costume.

Of course, none of this phased those present as much as the sudden appearance of Superboy did. Not surprising either was how the Kryptonian who rescued him quickly turned her attention to the symbol on Superboy’s chest. While in the eyes of humans the crest looked like a letter S, Robin knew full well the crest was, in reality, the family crest. She pointed, then said, “Kal-El?”

Robin let out a sigh, teetering on his feet. “Um…”

Before he could correct her and effectively elate the sudden confusion appearing on Superboy’s face, someone said, “What is _she_ doing here?”

“What do you mean?” Kid Flash hurried through, knocking some of the minions who were knocked onto the ground from standing back up again.

“She’s a member of _the_ Titans.”

“That’s Teen Titans, thank you very much.”

“They’re the reason the adults don’t take us seriously!”

Robin felt his stomach twist slightly, knowing full well the rest of the team _didn’t_ know his connection with the Teen Titans. Raven landed next to Robin, her hands clenching together while glaring at Red Arrow. The young Kryptonian – Robin didn’t get the chance to ask her name, stared, looking as confused as Superboy. Superboy pointed at the girl. “Who’s she?”

“Yes. Who is she, Robin?” Aqualad asked.

“She’s a Kryptonian who randomly showed up and helped me out.” A grin spread across Robin’s face.

Superboy’s face widened. “Wait. What?”

“And she thinks you’re Superman by the way.” He felt woozy, his head still hurting, but standing on his own two feet – his amusement didn’t last long when he started falling backward. He felt a gust of wind behind him as Kid Flash gripped his shoulders “Aster.”

“Aren’t we going to talk about the elephant in the room?” Red Arrow continued glaring at Raven.”

“What do you mean?” Robin tried keeping the smile on his face. He felt rather tired, nor did he want to be a leader again, not after he failed.

“She’s a Teen Titan! They’re all freaks. If it weren’t for their leader…”

Robin felt a hand touch his shoulder, but then a voice – Raven’s – telling him to stop thinking such negative thoughts about himself – that what the idiot in front of them said wasn’t true. He still didn’t want to be the leader, yet a warning about staying awake rattled around in his head.

“You haven’t a clue who our leader is, do you?”

“That…” Red Arrow glared at her. “It’s Zatanna?”

“The one Batman assigned to me as a mentor?” Raven glared at him, her shadows billowing out, making the Blue Snowman and her minions cringe. “I don’t think so.”

“Then why did Robin react negatively to seeing a circus poster in her room?”

“I’ll ask him about that later.”

“Woah. What does she mean by that Rob?”

Robin felt as if he were falling to a million pieces, knowing full well the team _would_ discover what Red Arrow deemed a failure. Raven, however, walked forward, glaring at the older teen. “You seem to be under the mistaken impression we Teen Titans are to blame for something? What was it you were going to say?”

“He was going to say your Teen Titans are the reason the adults don’t trust us.”

“Bull. Batman trusted me right now, did he not?”

Red Arrow stopped speaking. Robin raved his hand. “Communication device. I need to talk to Batman.”

“Let me talk to him first and apprise him of the situation, then you can have mine.”

“Oh. Tell him a relative of Superman is here and that she speaks some Russian.” Robin narrowed his eyes, pondering the situation and taking in the fact Superboy seemed quite upset regarding this sudden revelation – not surprising given the way Superman ignored his clone. “Also, was it you giving the team orders, Aqualad?”

“Uh, yeah,” came from behind.

“I think you should be the leader.”

“Let’s discuss this once we’re all back at Mount Justice,” Aqualad said.

“Yeah.” Robin let out a sigh. “Let’s go home.”


End file.
